Month: July 2018

By Lauren Van Hemert; photo by Joan Marcus It’s hard to believe that the 2004 movie Mean Girls came before Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. In fact, one might argue if Regina George had access to social media, there may not have ever been an infamous Burn Book. Still, the movie became a cult classic and […]

Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member; photos by David Hagen. One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn’t going to go off. –Anton Chekhov In Leave Me Alone, a modern retelling of Chekhov’s Ivanov, the notion of Chekhov’s gun isn’t just a device; it’s a full-blown storytelling […]

Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member; photos by Tom McGrath What is the nature of Fate? Is it something that is utterly inescapable, or is it the simple byproduct of the decisions that we make? If it is the latter, is it then malleable? And when is it a good idea to […]

Review by Joe DeRosa; photos by Brett Beiner There’s a way to love Heartbreak Hotel. Much like its iconic, complicated subject, this musical is, at the same time, probably destined to be a runaway hit and a little difficult to take seriously. But, like Elvis, if you’re willing to listen, there’s a way to love […]

Just a quick word to let everyone know that, as of today, ChicagoOnStage is expanding its coverage into Raleigh-Durham, an area with over 95 theatres and a thriving community. Our reporter for Raligh-Durham shows is Lauren Van Hemert. She is one of two Raleigh Regional Contributing Editors for Broadway World Raleigh, and we’re happy to have […]

By Lauren Van Hemert; photo by Curtis Brown Photography Note: With this review, ChicagoOnStage’s USAOnStage expands its coverage to the Raleigh-Durham area. In July 1899, hundreds of newsboys formed a union and went on strike against Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst to protest an increase in the wholesale price of the Evening World and […]

By Kelly Romack MacBlane The musical comedy, Murder for Two, now playing at the Marriott Theatre, follows the story of Marcus, a wannabe detective played by the talented Noel Carey as he tries to solve the murder of famed American author, Arthur Whitney. The equally talented Jason Grimm plays all of the other characters in […]

Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member; photo by Liz Lauren Stacy Keach won an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of Ernest Hemingway in a 1988 eponymous mini-series, and he’s back for a second go-round in the Goodman Theatre’s Pamplona. This time, in a one-man show written by […]

Review by Karen Topham, American Theatre Critics Association member In the Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks, two brothers struggles with some of the cultural, family, and societal aspects of being young black men in America. Named Lincoln and Booth by their father for a joke, the boys were abandoned by both parents when they […]

By Joe DeRosa “Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?” Tennessee Williams–The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore It felt like a dream, like I was under a spell. There’s a fairly good chance I […]